Jaune's anxiety
by Sagistic
Summary: Jaune's been acting weird since finding out Blake's secret.


Hey guys, and girls, Sagistic here with another story for you. Okay, so if some of you didn't know, I spent some time in the hospital recovering. While there I've read some interesting stories in the RWBY community and decided to write this.

Irrational Fear

Jaune has been acting weird since discovering Blake's secret.

* * *

"I wonder what's wrong with Jaune." At that, Blake's ears twitched before she looked up from her book. Sitting on her bed, Ruby was currently swinging her legs as the two waited for Yang to exit the shower, Weiss having left for class already.

"What do mean?" The Faunus asked, getting Ruby to shrug.

"You've seen it too, haven't you?" The short leader asked, "The bags underneath his eyes? How he's getting a bit pale?" Blake took a second to think about her leader's words before she realized it too. However, rather than over thinking it, Blake simply shook her head.

"You're probably just overthinking it." The Faunus answered before she focused back on her book. "He's probably just overworking himself. You know that he and Pyrrha have been training at night ever since our trip to Forever Fall." Blake added, taking a second to look at Ruby. The short leader simply nodded at that before she laid on her bed.

"You're right, I'm probably just overreacting. I mean with the work the two of us get along with normal homework…I can see Jaune getting a little sick." Blake nodded at the answer before silence began to fill the room. However, in the back of the Faunus' mind, she couldn't help but think about Jaune's recent appearance…and the accompanying behavior.

'Now that I think about it. Jaune started to act different ever since Team Juniper found out that I was a Faunus.' Blake thought as she began remembering the night she decided to share her secret with her sister team.

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" _Miss Belladonna." Goodwtich said, getting Blake to wince before she looked at the stern professor. "Professor Ozpin would like a word with you as soon as we get back to Beacon."_

" _Of course." Blake replied before the Bullhead they were riding rocked slightly, indicating that the airship had landed. However, what greeted the five wasn't only the headmaster of Beacon but rather Team Juniper as well, a look of concern on their faces when Team Ruby stepped out._

" _Miss Belladonna." Ozpin greeted, getting Blake to wince again. "While I would like to have a word with you, I feel that it's best that you fill your friends on what had happened in Vale. When you're ready, please head up to my office." The Headmaster said before began walking away, Goodwitch following shortly after. When it was just the teams, an awkward silence spread over them before Jaune coughed into his hand._

" _So, you mind telling us why we saw you on the news?" The blonde asked, only to receive silence from the four girls. Blake simply rolled her eyes as she watched her team shuffle nervously under Team Juniper's gaze._

" _Well…you see-" Yang started before Blake cut her off._

" _I dragged my team there in order to stop the White Fang." The Faunus announced, getting her team to look at her. "I wanted to keep them out of it, since the issue was a bit personal."_

" _Does that go along with why you were missing for whole weekend?" Ren asked, getting Blake to nod._

" _Well, I can't say I'm mad." Jaune said, getting his team to nod. "But I am a bit hurt that you didn't let us know." The blonde continued, getting a confused look from Team Ruby. "Even if it was personal, you could've at least called us when things were going bad."_

" _What Jaune means is that we're all friends. If something's troubling you, you shouldn't have to be afraid to ask for help." Pyrrha said, getting a nod from Jaune. Before the champion could continue, Nora decided to jump in._

" _So, why was it personal?" The ginger asked, getting her team to scold her._

" _Well, you see…" Yang started again, getting everyone to look at her. "Blake is…well…Weiss?"_

" _Don't look at me!" The Heiress shouted. Before they could continue, Blake simply chuckled at them._

" _It's alright," The Faunus said before she reached up to her bow and undid it. "The truth is, I'm a Faunus." Blake said, wiggling her ears a bit. As soon as she did, there was a silence between the two teams before Nora spoke up again._

" _That's. So. Cool!" The ginger shouted, resulting in Team Ruby to release a sigh of relief. "So do you have any cat-like reflexes? Do you chase after a ball of Yarn? Ooh! Do you go crazy over tuna?" Nora fired off rapidly before Ren finally stepped up and placed a hand over her mouth._

" _That is definitely a surprise, I don't it's too shocking. Whatever fears you've had, I don't think things will change between us." The stoic teen said, getting a nod from the others. Blake simply smiled at them before her team lead her away to meet Ozpin_

* * *

"You alright there Jaune?" Blake felt her ears twitch again as she looked up from her book to see the everyone at the table look at the blonde. Said blonde had only taken a few bites out of his breakfast before pushing it away.

"Hm? Oh, y-yeah, I'm fine." The blonde responded before giving everyone a weak smile. "I-I'm just not feeling that hungry to day." At that, Blake couldn't help but narrow her eyes when Jaune gave her a worried glance. It was quick, and if she wasn't paying attention, she might have not seen it, but it was there. Without a word, Jaune pulled his tray back and began picking little pieces of it.

"Okay, if you're sure you're fine." Ruby said before she took a stand on the bench. "Since we still have another week off, I was thinking about doing another Inter-team exercise!" Ruby excitedly, getting Blake and the others to roll their eyes. "I was thinking about trading partners for the day."

"Trading partners?"

"Yeah! You know, I hang out with Nora, Yang hangs out with Pyrrha, Weiss gets Ren and Blake spends a day with Jaune!" Ruby said happily before the sound of heavy coughing made everyone turn to the Jaune again.

"Jaune? Are you alright?" Pyrrha asked, patting the blonde as on his back before Ruby handed him her milk carton. Once the blonde had stopped coughing, everyone focused their attention on the blonde.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Ren asked, getting Jaune to nod before he suddenly got up.

"Y-yeah, don't worry about it." The blonde said as he grabbed his tray. "Look, I don't think I'll be able to join you guys today. I've got important things and stuff."

"Like what?" Ruby asked, getting Jaune to freeze for a second.

"I..I-I got get to Oobleck's class. Yeah, I-I promised to help him sort some textbooks." The blonde responded with a smile.

"Jaune, Oobleck's out of town for the week." Nora said, getting the blonde to freeze.

"T-then I guess it might have been Port." Jaune said, taking another step.

"Port went with him." Yang called out, getting Jaune to stop before continued

"I-I think I hear Professor Goodwitch calling me." The blonde said as he gained more distance. It wasn't until he left the Dining Hall entirely that someone spoke up.

"You guys noticed that too, right?" Yang asked, getting everyone else to nod. "Every time we try these team exercises, he always says he has something else to do."

"Not all the time, he's been there for a majority of them." Ren added, getting Yang to shrug in agreement.

"But still, it is rather odd that Jaune of all people is finding an excuse to leave." Weiss said, before she looked to Blake. "No offense, but that's something I figured that you would do."

"You don't think he's being bullied again, do you?" Ruby asked, getting Pyrrha to shake her head.

"I don't think so, Cardin has toned down his efforts ever since Jaune saved him at Forever Fall." The Champion said, "Whatever is bothering him this time is definitely different." At that, Ren nodded before Nora began to pull the conversation away from Jaune. However, Blake kept her eyes on the door that Jaune has left, her eyes narrowing and her ears flattened.

* * *

"Guys, I'm really worried about Jaune." As soon as they heard the blonde's name, the members of Team Ruby had turned their attention to their leader. "It's been three weeks, and Jaune's team's been telling me that he's been getting worse."

"Yeah, that's not counting the fact Team Juniper's been sitting away from us." Weiss added, getting the girls to cast a glance at the table across the Dining Hall, where Team Juniper now resided. "What's gotten into them?"

"I don't know, but I'm going find out." Yang said before she stood up. Ruby simply gave her a concerned look before she got up as well. Blake and Weiss simply rolled their eyes before they got up and joined the two sisters. Ignoring the commotion around them Team Ruby stuck together as they reached the table Team Juniper was sitting at. "Hey, Jaune." Hearing his name, Jaune quickly looked at Team Ruby before jumping in surprise.

"O-oh, hey g-girls." The blonde said, his eyes widening when it rested on Blake. "What can I do for you?" the blonde asked before Yang slammed her hands on the table, getting Jaune to jump again.

"You can tell us what up." The brawler said, getting Jaune to tilt his head in confusion.

"You've been slowly moving away from us for the past few weeks." Ruby said, getting Jaune to flinch. "What happened? Why are you avoiding us?" Before Jaune could open his mouth, Blake decided to speak up.

"He's not avoiding you guys." At that, everyone at the table turned their attention to the Faunus.

"What are you talking about Blake? If he's not avoiding us, then why is he sitting here?" Yang asked as Blake crossed her arms and stared at Jaune.

"Jaune's been avoiding me," Blake said as she stepped closer. "Every time Ruby's suggested that he and I spend time together, he always has a convenient way to excuse himself." Blake took another step forward as the rest of her team widen their eyes in realization. "To the point where he doesn't want to spend time near me. Right?" Blake asked, narrowing her eyes as Jaune squirmed in his spot.

"Yes," Jaune said, getting Team Ruby to gasp. "I've been trying my best to avoid Blake." Looking up, Jaune swallowed the lump in his throat before he tried to continue. "But not for what you think-" Jaune started before Yang slammed her hands on the table again, cutting him off.

"And what would that be?" Yang said, shifting from purple to red when Jaune lowered his head. Pulling her arm back, Jaune didn't flinch when Ren reached out and grabbed her hand, stopping it just before it hit his face.

"I'd prefer that you know do that." Ren said, getting Blake to shift her attention to Nora and Pyrrha, both looking ready to jump up. Letting out a sigh, Blake simply turned around and began walking away. It wasn't until she reached the door that she heard Weiss speak up.

"And here I thought you were simply a dolt."

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It had only been a week since Team Ruby and Team Juniper had split but Team Ruby was already feeling the effects of not having a sister team to join them. Blake herself wasn't too affected by the loss. Her and Jaune rarely spoke a word before, Pyrrha only really asked for notes, Nora and Ren only interacted with her whenever she was with the group. However, just because Blake was having an easier time adjusting, didn't mean the others weren't and this made Blake worry for them.

Ruby's happy disposition was starting to look more and more forced, doing her best to keep going. It was clear to the Faunus that her leader was breaking due to the issue of having to stick by her first friend or her team. Yang had become more aggressive, losing her temper more often due to her concern for Ruby. Weiss had practically reverted back to how she was when they first met, cold and distant.

It was because of those outcomes that Blake found it hard to read. Sure, she was Faunus who enjoyed her silence, but the silence that fill her room was different from normal. The main difference was the fact that her team was also in the room, all of them doing their own things; Weiss was studying, Ruby was reading and Yang was browsing on her scroll…but none of them uttering a word to each other.

Letting out a sigh, Blake snapped her book shut before getting up from her bed, the noise was enough to grab her team's attention. Before Blake could open her mouth, the sound of knocking made the team focus on the door.

"Who is it?" Ruby called out.

"It's Pyrrha…and Ren." A voice responded getting the four girls to look at one another.

"We just want to talk." Looking at her leader, Blake saw Ruby urge her to open the door. Letting out a breath, Blake made her way to the door and gripped the handle for a few second before she turned it and opened the door. On the other side of the door, Blake had to blink when she saw the knuckles that had stopped short from hitting her. Quickly pulling his hand away, Ren let out a cough. "Is this a bad time?"

"Not at all." Blake said before she leaned against the door frame, letting her team see the two. "What did you want to talk about?"

"We're here to discuss the issue revolving around Jaune." Pyrrha said, getting Blake's ears to perk up. However, before she could urge the two to continue, Weiss let out a scoff.

"What could you possibly need to discuss about that racist?" The Heiress said, getting Blake, Ruby, Ren and Pyrrha to look at her in shock. "I think that dolt made it clear what his intentions were."

"That's why Pyrrha and I are here. To clear everything up." Ren said, his attention going to Yang when she snorted.

"And isn't Jaune here?" The blonde said as she jumped off from her bed.

"Jaune felt that if he came here he wouldn't be able to get a word in." Ren responded before he looked at Blake. "He felt it best that Pyrrha and I let you know."

"So, he's too much of a coward to come here himself?" Yang said as she walked up to the door. At this, Ren and Pyrrha narrowed their eyes at the brawler before Pyrrha tried speaking again.

"I'd appreciate if you did not insult my partner." The champion said. "he would allow us to explain-"

"You know what?" Yang asked before she pulled Blake inside. "Why don't you tell your _leader_ , that unless he comes here himself, we not going to listen." Yang said, before she slammed the door. At that, Ruby finally exploded.

"Why did you do that!?" The reaper shouted, jumping from her bed. Blake simply groaned before she went to the bathroom, the voices of her teammates getting on her nerves already as the shouting match continued. As she looked in the mirror, the Faunus made a promise to herself, to straighten things out between her and Jaune.

* * *

"So, who do have today?" Yang asked, as she lazily placed a grape in her mouth. Another week had passed since the team had their own argument about the problem involving Jaune. Ever since Yang had slammed the door on Pyrrha and Ren, Team Juniper had taken that as a sign to stop pestering Team Ruby.

Blake had even asked Sun and Neptune to try and act as middle men between the two teams…only for Nora to threaten Sun with broken legs and Jaune and Ren to threaten Neptune with permanent paralysis when the bluenette tried his 'charm' on the girls. That didn't stop Blake from trying to speak to one of them; with various results. Jaune would usually speed up his attempts to leave, Pyrrha would politely excuse herself while Ren and Nora would outright ignore her. So as of now, the Faunus has little to no success on her end.

"We've got Professor Port next." Ruby said, getting a few mumbles from Yang and Weiss.

'If I can get things straightened out between me and Jaune.' The Faunus thought before she let her head fall to the table. 'I just need to show Jaune that I'm not like other Faunus. When he sees that…maybe he'll stop acting like a racist.' As soon as Blake finished her thoughts, her ears twitched at the sound of a certain someone chuckling. Lifting her head, Blake, along with her teammates, looked behind her to see Cardin was once again pulling on a Faunus' ears, a rabbit Faunus Blake learned was named Velvet.

"Just what we need," Yang said angrily, "the first racist to join the second." Blake decided to not call Yang out at the, her eyes quickly darting to Jaune just in time to catch an interesting sight. The blonde was currently tossing an unopened pop-can in his hand as he eyed the commotion between Cardin and Velvet. Before she could process what happened, Blake watched as Jaune stood up and pulled his arm back before flinging it forward.

The can that was previously in his hand was now airborne, its target clear to everyone who was watching. Without word, the can crashed into Cardin's head, knocking him to the ground as Jaune walked up him. Blake continued to watch with wide eyes as Jaune grabbed Cardin's wrist and forced the bully to let go of Velvet's ears. Despite the distance from her and the conflicting duo, Blake's ears clearly picked up what the blonde had said.

"I never want to see you doing that again." Jaune said, letting go of Cardin and shoving him to the floor. The entire Dining Hall was silent as everyone watched Jaune make his way to the exit; It wasn't until the blonde left that the noise started to return, everyone immediately conversing about what had happened, Team Ruby was no different.

"What the heck just happened?" Yang asked, her attention going back to Cardin as his team helped him up. "Did Jaune just-"

"-save Velvet from Cardin?" Ruby asked, a small amount of hope in her voice. "Yeah, but why-"

"-probably so he could do it himself." Weiss said, crossing her arms as she looked at the bully. Blake decided to ignore the rest of the conversation as her mind began to think of various reason as to why Jaune did what he did. After a few seconds, Blake decided to find out for herself and stood.

"I'm going to head to Port's class early." The Faunus said when she saw her teammates look at her. "I'll save you a spot." Her team just nodded at her before the Faunus left. However, as soon as Blake stepped out, she didn't make her way to Port's class, but rather began a search for the blonde Arc. It didn't take her long hear the blonde mumbling to himself down an empty hallway. Nodding to herself, Blake took a breath and was about to step out into the open.

"E-excuse me?" A voice called out, getting Blake to remain where she was. Peeking around the corner, Blake raised an eyebrow when she saw Velvet walking up to Jaune. The blonde however, seemed to stiffen up at the sight of the rabbit Faunus.

"Y-yeah?" Jaune said, his voice a bit shaky, something Blake took note of. "C-can I help you?"

"I just wanted to say…thank you. For dealing with Cardin back there." Velvet said, smiling a bit before she took a step forward. Blake narrowed her eyes as when she saw Jaune take a step back, raising his hands in preparation for something.

"I-it was nothing. Don't talk about it." Jaune said before he turned around and started to leave. The blonde wasn't able to take more than a few steps before a hand grabbed him, making him stiffen up even more before Velvet stepped in front of him.

"I really mean it. Thank you. Not many would stick up for a Faunus." Velvet said, choosing to ignore Jaune's attitude. The blonde however, was currently doing his best not to run, hoping that the conversation would end quickly. "I know you have a reputation from your team and Team Ruby breaking up but-"

"I get it!" Jaune snapped, getting both Blake and Velvet to jump. "What I did was nothing to wave around! Now leave me alone!" Jaune said before he shoved Velvet to the side. At that moment, Blake walked around the corner to see a dejected Velvet leaning against the wall while Jaune turned another corner.

"Velvet?" Blake asked, getting the rabbit Faunus to jump a bit. "You alright?"

"Yeah, yeah. Sorry, it's just…" Velvet said before motioning down the hall, "…just saying thank you to Jaune. But, he just did what he usually does and brushed it off." Blake nodded at that, knowing what really happened. "Anyway, I should get going, I have Oobleck next." Giving Velvet a quick hug, Blake quickly made her way to Port's class and took a seat just in time before her team entered the room.

"So, heard Jaune shoved Velvet in the halls." Yang said, sending a glare toward the blonde. "Guess you were right Weiss, looks like he wanted to do something himself." Blake choose to ignore the comment, her mind already focusing on something else.

"Good afternoon class, today I have a special announcement." Port said jovially as soon as the bell rang.

* * *

"Ruby. Can I ask you for a favor?" Blake asked as she watched the sea of red zoom past her. It had been two days since Team Ruby had watched Jaune defend Velvet against Cardin in the Dining Hall. Because of that, Team Ruby was put into doubt, the young leader having grown some hope that Team Juniper would eventually welcome them. Yang and Weiss, while still firm about their assumption of Jaune, grew a little softer, casting a glance at the blonde every now and then.

Blake herself now had a new assumption in her mind, one that would explain everything that's happened. However, since her team and Team Juniper were still at odds with one another, Blake had almost no opportunity to confirm her suspicions. That was until now, where all the first years were sent on a two-day training event in Forever Fall.

"What's up Blake?" Ruby asked, casting glance at Jaune, Blake joining her. The Faunus took a moment to collect herself before she looked at Ruby again.

"I want to talk to Jaune." Blake said, getting Ruby to tilt her head. "Alone. Can you, Yang and Weiss distract the rest of his team?" At that Ruby, leaned in a bit closer.

"Why?"

"Because this whole thing, our teams separating, was caused by me and Jaune." Blake started, "If I could have a few minutes alone with him…to straighten things out between us. I think I can end it." At that, Ruby widened her eyes before she began to smile.

"You mean it!?" The reaper asked, getting Blake to sigh.

"I can't make any promises, but it's our best bet." The Faunus said with a smile. "It's the least I could do, for causing this in the first place. Will you help?"

"Of course! Just leave it to me!" Ruby said happily, getting Blake to nod just as the Bullheads were starting to land.

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"Jaune." Blake called out, getting the blonde knight to jump. Almost immediately Blake noticed how Jaune's body stiffened up, his eyes widening as the Faunus stepped out behind him.

"B-Blake? What are you doing here?" The blonde asked, taking a step back.

"Jaune listen," Blake said, raising her hands. Seeing Jaune flinch, Blake immediately stopped her actions before she continued speaking. "I just want to talk."

"Where's my team?" Jaune asked, his eyes scanning the trees behind Blake.

"I asked my team to distract them." Blake revealed, taking a step forward. Her attention immediately went to Jaune's eyes, which widen considerably as his pupils shrunk. "I'm not going to do anything. I just want to know, why?"

"Why what?" Jaune asked, taking another step; this caused Blake to do the same.

"Why are you treating me like a plaque?" Blake asked, "What makes me different from Velvet?"

"Velvet?" Jaune asked, clearly confused as to who she was talking about.

"The Faunus you protected from Cardin a few days ago." Blake said, her eyes narrowing when Jaune took another step back.

"That's different Blake. I defended her because it was the right thing to do." Jaune called out. "Nothing more, nothing less. I would to the same if it was you."

"Then why are you trying to leave?" Blake pushed, watching as Jaune froze. "You're clearly not a racist Jaune. I want to know, why? What makes me any different from Velvet or any other Faunus at Beacon?"

"Blake, please, just…leave me alone." Jaune said, his voice now more pleading.

"Not until you tell me why." Blake said, "Jaune. This, whatever it is between us, is pushing our teams apart. Ruby's been forcing her happiness, Yang's becoming more aggressive and Weiss is just as cold as she was when we first met. I'm sure your team's been suffering like ours." Blake said, feeling bad for guilt tripping Jaune. "Just tell me Jaune. Tell me and let's put this all behind us." Blake said, taking more steps towards Jaune.

"Blake, stop!" Jaune said, his body immediately moving away in response. "I'm sorry for everything. Just leave me alone!" Jaune shouted before he turned his body around and began running away.

"Jaune!" Blake wasted no time chasing after the blonde. "Jaune, get back here! We can talk this out!" The Faunus shouted out.

"Just leave me alone!" Was the only response she received. Blake let out a growl as she continued to chase Jaune through the forest.

'This is gone on long enough!' Blake though before she pulled out Gambol Shroud. Switching it into its gun mode, Blake took a second to stop before she threw her blade out. To her surprise, Jaune managed to jump over the ribbon, preventing her to tripping him. Reaching her weapon, Blake yanked Gambol Shroud form the ground and tried once more to trip Jaune. The results repeated itself for a while before Blake finally noticed that she and Jaune were no longer near their teams.

Looking around, Blake widened her eyes when she noticed the various black shadows that were running alongside her. The howl that echoed through the forest, confirmed that the two were now in Grimm territory. Increasing her speed, Blake tried her best to catch up to Jaune, her body going faster at the multiple howls that sounded off. It wasn't until Blake finally saw Jaune skid to a stop that she looked up into the sky and saw a large Nevermore circling them.

"Jaune! Stop!" Blake called out, reaching out with her hand. "Jaune we need to move. The Grimm are closing in on us." Blake said before she looked at the blonde and finally noticed his expression. Fear. "Jaune?"

"Stay away!" Jaune said, taking a step back…only yelp when he almost fell off. It was at that moment that everything made sense to Blake.

'He's attracting the Grimm!' Blake thought as she took step closer and saw Jaune immediately pull out his sword and shield. 'He's afraid!' The Faunus concluded before she noticed that the blade was aimed right at her, causing her to look at Jaune. All it took was for her to see his face that everything cleared up. 'He's not scared of the Grimm…he's afraid of me!' Lifting her hand, Blake opened her mouth before the sound of growling made her look back to see a Beowolf in mid-lunge.

"Blake!" Hearing her name, Blake only had time to blink before she saw Jaune stand in front of her with his shield. Blocking the Grimm's attack, Blake watched as Jaune used Crocea Mors to behead the beast. Regaining her senses, Blake immediately pulled out Gambol Shroud again and leaped over Jaune just in time to stab another Beowolf that on his side. Jaune gave Blake a quick nod before his attention was drawn back to the large number of Grimm.

Blake had to give it to Jaune, the boy definitely knew how to handle himself in a fight. She was surprised to see how well coordinated the two of them were, despite their lack of interaction. Slowly, Blake watched as she and Jaune reduced the number of Grimm, their efforts pulling victory in their favor. But, just as the last of the Grimm fell, the Nevermore had decided to attack. In one swift moment, Jaune was immediately knock back, the large bird having divebombed the blonde.

Luckily, Jaune had managed to raise his shield in time to block the razor-sharp talons, but the resulting knockback had flung the blonde over the cliff-side.

"Jaune!" Blake shouted before she made her way over the cliff. Looking over, Blake let out a relieve sigh when she saw that Jaune had managed to grab hold of something. It was then that she noticed that Jaune didn't have his shield of Crocea Mors on him anymore. Falling to the ground, Blake extended her hand towards the blonde. "Jaune! Grab my hand!" At that, Blake saw Jaune widen his eyes before he began shaking his head. "Jaune, please! Grab my hand and I'll pull you up!"

To Blake's horror, Jaune shook his head once more before he proceeded to let go of the cliff. Thinking fast, Blake immediately pulled out Gambol Shroud threw the weapon at the blonde, getting the ribbon to wrap around his leg while she pulled on the other end. Despite grabbing the blonde, Blake realized her mistake when the sound of the Nevermore echoed above her.

"Blake!" Jaune called out, getting the Faunus to let out a grunt in response. "Blake, let go!" At that, Blake widened her eyes. "Blake you can't defend yourself! Let go! Before both of us die!" Jaune shouted.

"N-no!" Blake shouted back as she tried to pull Jaune up. "I. Won't."

"Damn it Blake! Let go! Now!" Jaune shouted again, getting Blake to shake her head.

"No!" Blake shouted before she heard the sound of a blade being drawn. Looking over the edge, Blake widened her eyes when she saw Jaune cut through her ribbon with a small pocket knife. "Jaune! No!" Without thinking, Blake immediately jumped after the blonde, just in time to evade the Nevermore's talons. Straightening herself out, Blake soon collided with Jaune, who wrapped his arms around her.

"Are you crazy!" Jaune shouted, before he pulled Blake close to him. The Faunus simply closed her eyes and waited for the pain to come. And it had, but only in her leg. Letting out a cry of pain, Blake opened her eyes to see that her leg had hit a large branch on the cliffside, forcing a bone through the skin. "Blake!" Was all Jaune could get out before the two of them finally hit something.

Burying her head into Jaune's chestplate, Blake could only wince as she heard Jaune take hit after hit from whatever they crashed into before she found herself rolling along the ground. Opening her eyes again, Blake found herself on her back a few feet away from Jaune, currently lying face first in the ground.

"J-Jaune!" Blake cried out as she tried to will her body to move. Realizing that she was stuck, Blake began to cry before a groan made her look towards Jaune, the blonde slowly getting to his feet. "Jaune!"

"Blake. You alright?" Jaune asked, before he looked at the Faunus' leg. "Shit! Blake, your leg!" Even though Blake couldn't lift her head, she knew that a bone was sticking out. "Fuck! C'mon I've got to get you out of here!" Jaune said before a growl made him freeze. Slowly moving her head, Blake widened her eyes when she saw a pack of Beowolves emerge from the trees. "Stay away from her!"

The Grimm simply let out another growl before one of them lunged towards Blake. Closing her eyes, Blake waited for her end once more before the sound of a gun going off made her open her eyes again. A few feet in front of her laid the Beowolf, it's body already decomposing.

"I said get away from her!" Jaune said again as he stepped in front of Blake, getting Blake to widen her eyes when she realized that he was holding Gambol Shroud in its gun form. The remaining Grimm took a second to inspect Jaune before another lunged forward. Once again, the Grimm was met with a bullet, sending it back. Blake could only watch as Jaune carefully aimed his shots, making sure that only one was needed to finish off each Grimm.

"Jaune…" Blake called out when she heard the sound of an empty clip. Jaune let out a grunt in response as he fiddled with the weapon. "…please…just go."

"What?" Jaune asked, using the retracted blade to stab another Grimm before he continued to fiddle with the weapon. "Blake, are you stupid?" Looking back, Jaune froze for a second when he saw a few Ursa making their way towards them.

"Please! If you run now…you still have a chance to survive!" Blake said, tear now streaming from her eyes. "They'll be too distracted to-"

"Shut up!" Jaune interrupted, getting Blake to look at him before she saw Gambol Shroud change back into its sword form. "I'm not going to let you die! What kind of person would I be if I just ran from everything?" Jaune said before he raised the sword. "I've had enough running…especially from you," At that, Blake widened her eyes before she started crying again. "Who's first!" Jaune shouted, getting a few more Beowolves to charge forwards.

Just as they were about to lunge, they were immediately thrown back as various sounds of guns echoed out. Looking up, Blake let a smile appear on her face when she spotted the remaining members Team Ruby and Team Juniper falling down the cliff before they landed in front of her and Jaune. With a war cry, Yang and Nora charged towards the horde of Grimm.

"I'll make you pay for hurting my partner!/Nora smash!" Was all Blake heard before multiple explosions shook the ground around them.

"You alright?" Looking toward Jaune, Blake simply smiled at the blonde before she felt her energy finally leave her. "Blake! Blake!"

* * *

The first thing Blake took notice of what the comfy feeling behind her, the second was the smell and antiseptic and the last was the blinding light that was now disturbing her rest. Letting out a groan, Blake slowly opened her eyes trying her best to lift her hand to rub them.

"Easy there, kitty." A voice said, getting Blake to groan again. "Geeze, I know my puns suck." Trying to open hers again, Blake cheered a bit on the inside when she was successful. Once her eyes had finally adjusted, Blake took a second to look around before she noticed another blonde sitting beside her.

"Yang?" The Faunus asked, getting a comforting nod. "Where-?"

"The infirmary." Yang cut in, "Considering the condition you were in, you and Jaune were both rushed here for treatment."

"Jaune?" Blake asked, before her eyes widen. At once, the memories of what happened rushed to her. Arriving at Forever Fall, confronting Jaune, the chase, the fight, falling off the cliff…everything. Without warning, Blake sat up, wincing in pain as she did "Jaune!"

"Easy! Jaune's fine." Yang said, getting up from her seat to place a hand on the Faunus' shoulder. "A few bruises and dislocated shoulder, nothing serious." The blonde said, laying Blake against the bed again. "Compared to him, you're lucky to be awake right now."

"What do you mean?" Blake said, before Yang removed the blanket. Aside from blushing, due to being in nothing but a hospital gown, Blake immediately understood why. Her entire right leg was in a cast, already signed by her team while her left foot was wrapped. Looking at her left right arm, she saw that it also had a cast wrapped around her wrist.

"Broken Femur and Tibia in your right leg. Your left ankle was sprained while your wrist was broken. And if I remember, a mild concussion." Yang listed, getting Blake to nod before she relaxed against the bed. "Whatever Aura you had left was used to protect your neck from snapping so that's why everything else is in a cast. But! The doc says that your aura should heal everything quickly enough."

"Where is everyone?" Blake asked, finally realizing that it was only her and Yang. "I figured that Ruby would at least stay be my side."

"Well, judging by that clock, class is about to let out." Yang said before she held up her hand and slowly put down each finger. Blake watched with a raised eyebrow as Yang put all her fingers down. Almost immediately, Blake's ears twitched before she looked at the door.

"BBLLAAAAAAAKKKEEE!" Widening her eyes, Blake watched as the door to the exit burst open to reveal and worried Ruby. "Blake! Are alright?" The reaper asked before she was stopped by Yang.

"Easy there, sis. Blake's fine, in fact she just woke up." Yang said, smiling as Ruby seemed to calm down.

"Good, she didn't do anything stupid." A second voice called out, getting the girls to turn and see Weiss walking up to them. "I swear Yang, your sister moved faster than it took Oobleck to explain what our homework was." The heiress said before she looked at Blake. "It's nice to see you alive and well."

"Thanks Weiss, I feel a bit sore but refreshed." Blake said before she looked at her team. "What happened? You three seem more…"

"Happy?"

"Calm?"

"Warm?"

"…normal." Blake said, getting them all to chuckle. "Seriously, what happened?"

"Well, after we found Jaune protecting you after your freefall, we decided to give Team Juniper another shot." Yang said, getting Blake to blink at her. Before the Faunus could response, her attention was drawn to the second blonde that stood behind her team. With a cough, Blake watched as her teammates turned around to see Jaune standing a few feet away. Further behind him, the rest of his team were smiling.

"U-uh…am I interrupting?" Jaune asked, rubbing the back of his head. Blake took a second to smile at him before she motioned him over. As soon as he saw her, Jaune stiffened up before looking away, a frown on his face. At that, Yang and Weiss frowned as well before they saw the rest of Jaune's team walk up to him. To the girl's surprise, the members of Team Juniper placed their hands on Jaune back before they gently guided him over to Blake.

"Go on…" Blake smiled at Pyrrha's urging. Looking at the blonde, Blake simply waited for him after he took a seat next to her, a gentle smile on her face.

"Blake…I just…I wanna say…I just wanna say that I'm sorry." Jaune said, getting Blake to raise an eyebrow. What?

"What?" Blake asked, getting everyone to look at her, "Why are you apologizing?"

"For avoiding you these past few weeks." Jaune said, "I should have just told you the reason. The reason I've been trying my best to avoid you." Jaune said, letting out a breath. Blake simply rested a hand on Jaune's giving it a quick squeeze when he flinched.

"I know…" Blake said, smiling when Jaune looked at her. "…I should apologize for assuming things." The Faunus said before she let go of Jaune's hand. The blonde simply smiled at her before Yang started waving her hands.

"Wait, wait, wait! What is going on?" The brawler asked, before she pointed to Jaune. "Why were you avoiding Blake?" At that, Jaune lowered his head again before Ren placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I…I have a phobia…of Faunus…" Jaune mumbled out. Behind him, Team Juniper nodded while the rest of Team Ruby gawked at Jaune.

"What?" Was all Yang said, before Ren decided to speak up.

"It's like Jaune said, he's terrified of Faunus." The teen said, "He's been avoiding Blake out of respect; he didn't want to make her think she did anything wrong to him."

"So…why defend another Faunus like Velvet?" Weiss asked, getting Jaune to flinch. "If you have a phobia of Faunus, how come you still defended her against Cardin?"

"Just because I'm afraid of Faunus doesn't mean I shouldn't defend them." Jaune said, lifting his head. At once, Team Ruby flinched when they saw that he was crying. "I'm in Beacon to train to protect people. What's the use if I can't stand up to a bully like Cardin?" Silence filled the room before Blake decided to speak up.

"There is something I'm a little curious about." The Faunus said, getting Jaune to look at her, "what made you fear Faunus?"

"Nothing too dramatic." Jaune said before he took a seat. "Just a bad run into some when I was young." Even though she knew other would want more details, Blake simply nodded at Jaune's answer.

'Now that I think about it…I feel so stupid.' The Faunus thought, 'Because I've witnessed so much _human_ hatred and oppression…I forgot that the opposite exists. That a human can face the _Faunus_ hatred and oppression. And Jaune…' Blake thought as she looked up at the blonde, 'Despite his fear of me…he tried his best to get over it, to help me when I assumed he wouldn't.'

"Blake…" Jaune said, getting her to look at him. "…Can you forgive me? For acting like an idiot?" The blonde asked, getting Blake to stare at him. For a few seconds the two locked eyes before Blake began to laugh, a chuckle at first before evolving into a full-blown laughter. Everyone stared at her as she continued laughing waiting for her stop. When she did, Blake simply placed her hand back on Jaune's.

"I should be asking you that." Blake said, "But yes. I forgive you Jaune." At that, Blake turned to Ruby, who burst into a cheer.

"Alright! Looks like Team Ruby and Team Juniper are friends again!" Ruby said before she looked at Blake. "Don't worry Blake, as soon as you get that cast removed, I'll make sure you have the best day ever!" The reaper said, getting everyone to laugh again. Out of the corner of her eyes, Blake notice poke Jaune once more before pointing to her. Jaune took a second to think before his face lit up in realization.

"Hey Blake," Jaune said, getting the Faunus' attention. "…since you're going to staying here for a while, I don't mind taking notes for any of your missed classes." The blonde said, getting Blake to raise an eyebrow. "As thanks…for saving me at the cliff. And…when you're all healed, maybe you can help me with my…" Jaune said before trailing off at the end. Blake took a second to think it over, look at Jaune from the corner of her eye before she smiled again.

"Considering that you fended off those Beowolves…I think you already payed me back." Blake said before she chuckled again. "And sure, when I get out of here, I wouldn't mind helping you with your phobia. We're friends after all." Blake said, getting Jaune to smile.

* * *

And there we have it. Now for the Reveal; if any of you have read the story _The Writer Games_ by College Fool, then you might have noticed that this is essentially the Faunaphope. I am not taking any credit for the idea or the layout, in fact all of it came from the chapter itself. Since I had no real entertainment during my stay at the hospital, I decided to write this on my phone.

Personally, I like the way it came out, despite the numerous errors. And hey, if College Fool or even Couer Al'Alran ever read this, I can take this down if you want.


End file.
